Leer



Jan. 7, 1936. L. J. HouzE. SR

LEER

Filed June 2v, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 7, 1936... J. HoUzE. sR2,026,737

` l LER Filed June 2, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented any1, 193sA o UNiTED ,STATES LEER L Leon J. Hunze, Sr., Point Mariomla., assignerto L. J. Houle Convex Glass Company, a corporation ot PennsylvaniaApplication .nine z, 1934, serial No. 728,'139

" 5 Claims.

k'I'his'invention relates to annealing and consists in furnacestructure; The objects of invention are. primarily, emciency; and,incidentally, simplicity in structure and consequent econ- 5 omy inoperation and in maintenance. 'Ihe invention has beendeveloped in theannealing of articles o f glassware, and in such development it will beillustrated and described. Its applicability to the general art o!annealing will be manifest. In the accompanying drawings Fi'g. I is aview in side elevation of an annealing furnace for glassware,-inindustrial parlance, a leer,in which and in the operation of whichv theinvention is` realized. Fig. II is a view to larger scale, showing theleer in cross-section, on the plane indicated in Fig. I by the lineII-II. Fig. lII is a fragmentary view in horizontal section, on theplane indicated at III-III, Fig. 1I; and Fig. IV is a fragmentary viewto somewhat smaller scale, on the planeindicated at IV-1'V,"F ig'.1.'I'he leer is a continuous leer of munie type and consists essentiallyof a double tunnel structure, ordinarily of masonry, having an innerchamber I and enveloping .passageways 2 in the' side-walls and 3 in theroof, these passageways 2 being in communication with the passageway 3.Through the inner chamber I of this double-walled tunnel thematerial'under treatment advances; and as it advances it is rst heatedto the desired relatively high temperature and then allowed to coolagain, until at the discharge end of the chamber A-it may safelyemergeinto the open air. Accordingly. from its intake end 'throughout portionof its extent th`e chamber is heated; in order that the material undertreatment may be brought to the desired high temperature.' Throughoutthe remainder oiits extent, the chamber is not heated; in order that thematerial within, giving up its heat, may growl-cool again. .Throughoutthat 40 portion-of the extent of chamber I within which the materiallsto be heated, a succession of metallic tubes 4, formed lconveniently oflengths of cast-iron pipe. is arranged in a common horizon tal plane atthe base of the tunnel. 'I'lie pipes extend in parallelism transverselyof the tunnel and open in succession, alternately to the passageways l2, 2 in the opposite sidewalls of the structure. From the passageway 3in the root fa stack 30 leads to a suitable chimney. 'Means are providedfor causing naines to, stream through the tubes 4 and the products ofcombustion to ilow thence to and through the passageways'l, 2- and 1;"the relatively cool* gases passing atlength through the stack Il to thechimney. 65 '1hepipes4,aswil1 beseenonoomimjingl'lgs..V

(ci. isi- 41) VII and III, exteriorly open ended, lead through thestructure, across the m'ule chamber I, and

into the passageways 2. Into these tubes are projected a'mes Iromnozzles- 5, essentially of\ Bunsen-burner type. Y 5 It wiilordinar'ilybe found advantageous to close the inner tunnel at the bottom with ahorizontaliy extending screen 6 of mas'oriry; and to arrange thesuccession of tubes 4 above and ad- Jacent to this screen. Convenientlythe tubes are lo spaced apart at narrow intervals, as shown in Fig. III.-'llhe screen 6 and the tubes 4 together constitute the floor or themuilie chamber. Beyond tne tubes, in the "cooling portion' of thechamber, the 'screen 6 alone constitutes the oor. 15

An endless conveyor l, formed preferably of woven wire, is arranged inusual assembly with the muiile chamber. It extends iii-continuoushorizontal plane longitudinally through the muiiie chamber; itis trainedon suitable wheels or drums 8, and its return reach 'il isy disposedbeneath the noor of the munie chamber and within the heatinsulatingprotection vof themasonry. Flexible curtains 9 of asbestos hang in theends oi the muie chamber, to prevent draft through the tunnel; thevheated condition of the air within sufficing to preventharmful'penetratien of cold air through smallerapertures. l

The long reaches of conveyor, and particularly. the ware-carrying reachwithin the chamber l, rest uponrails. These rails conveniently includerolled steel angles IU at the sides, and rolled steel strips Il atintermediate intervals. These rails extend longitudinally through thetunnelrin continuous length, or, as ordinarily will be the case, insections, and throughout the portion of the tunnel 'in which the tubes 4are found they may conveniently rest immediately upon thetubes.Elsewhere they rest upon beams I2 provided to sustain them. These beams,as is indicated in 40 Fig. IV, may by means of applied blocks be formedwith channels4 for the reception oi' the rails. The rails rest upon thesupport,.unrestrained by bolt, rivet, or weld, but freely responsive inelongation and contraction to temperature variations incident to heating-the furnace and maintaining it in operation.' Thus the smoothprogressof the l conveyor is insured. y

It has been found advantageous in a furnace built in the mannerdescribed to throttle somepassageways 2,*by placing in the tubes splitbricks I9; These bricks, becoming incandescent, will be furthereilective to prevent accidental'pumng 'out 6b' l what lthe now of flame`from the tubes 4 into the.

A burner 2B may be provided to play upon the conveyor and raise itstemperature (that has decreased in its return travel) just before -itreceives the ware and advances again with its burden into chamber I.

Certain renements of structure and of operation may be noted. Gas issupplied to the burners from a supply pipe I 3 through aheader ormanifold I4. Communication from the supply pipe to the manifold isthrough connections I to the two ends of the manifold, such two lines ofconnection being severally controlled by valves I6. The supply of gas tothe burners is subject to several control, by means of valves Il. The

stack exit is multiple, leading from the passageway 3 at a pointintermediate the heating portion of thetunnel and at a second pointbeyond the heating portion of the tunnel, and the two exits areseverally-subject to dampers I8. By such means, manifestly, thetemperature conditions within chamber I may be controlled and varied,and the gradient of rise of temperature of the articles under treatmentmay be minutely varied and brought to optimum value.

In the structure and operation of this furnace recognition is given tothe truth, commonly disregarded, that articles to be annealed usuallyare of greater mass at the base than at the upper edges. And, whereas inmany annealing furnaces the articles under treatment receivegreateraccessions of heat in4 their superior portions, in this f urnacethe-articles receive the greater ac'- cessions of heat in their bases.

Considering the chamber I and an article such as a `milk bottle Bresting upon the conveyor within it, the facts will be perceived,-(1)that the bottle is isolated within a' chamber through the stream ofllame and hot gas from the point of spring at nozzle 5 to the point .of.exit Ato -stack 30,. it will be manifest thatthe genera- Y tion ofheat-is at a maximum in the tubes pre- 'cisely where penetrability totheware is maximum, and that in the side-walls and roof of the chamber,where penetrability is less, there is less heat to penetrate. It will beremarked that, the

' maximum heat generation being within the tubes,

the structure elsewhere, subject to less intense heat, may beconstructed in simple manner.

Speciiically, the arches that constitute the floor and roof of themuiile chamber may be and conveniently are flat arches. And indeed it isentirely practicable to build the masonry-portions of ordinary redbrick, rather than of the more costly nre brick.l

In other respects, construction andoperation are familiar. The conveyoras it approaches the intake end of'the tunnel is disposed in horizontalplane, and as the conveyor continues in endless travel, the ware to beannealed is there placed `upon it. At the delivery end the conveyorcontinues in the same horizontal plane for a suiiicient distance toallow the ware to grow cooler in the air, until it comes toa temperatureproper for its removal.

I claim as my inventionl 1. A muilie leer in which the bottom wall ofthe muiile chamber is of a'material of relatively highr heat.penetrability and the side-walls and roof are 'of other material ofrelatively low heat pene- 5 trability, with means for causing'ame toimpinge upon the bottom wall and the products of combustion, flowingthence, to envelopthe muiiie chamber externally.

2. A inutile leer of continuous type including an inner chamber withside-walls and roof of re fractory material, passageways for hot gasesexternally arranged and enclosing such side-Walls and roof, a iioor forsaid inner chamber including a succession of transversely extendingmetallic tubes leading to the side-wall-enclosing passageways andopening in alternation to the passageway on one lside and the other,means for projecting flames into such tubes, and means for causing thearticles to be annealed to advance through said chamber above saidtransversely extending tubes.

3. A leer structure of continuous type comprising a double tunnel` ofrefractory material having an inner chamber and enveloping .passagewaysin side-walls in communication with a passageway in the roof, asuccession of metallic tubes arranged in a common plane at the base othe tunnel, extending in parallelism transverselyoi the tunnelconstituting part of the iioor of the inner chamber and opening insuccession alternately to the passageways in the side-walls. means forcausingA flames to stream through the said tubes and the products of'combustion to ilow thence through the passageways in the lside-walls,and the passageway in the roof, and means for causing articles to beannealed to advance through the inner chamber above the succession oftubes. 4. A leer structure of continuous type comprisau ingv adoubletunnel of masonry having an inner chamber and envelopingpassageways in sidewalls in communication with a passagewayin the roof,a horizontal screen oi masonry closing the innerchamber at the) bottom,a succession of A5 metallic .tubes arranged above the screen of theinner chamber, extending in parallelism transversely of the tunnel andwith said horizontal screen constituting the iioor of the inner chamber,said tubes opening in succession alternately to the 150 passageways inthe side-walls, a stack leading from the passageway in the roof, meansfor pro'- jecting iiame into said tubes, and a conveyor advancingthrough the inner chamber in a plane above the succession of tubes. A

5. A mume leer of continuous type including an innerchamber withheat-insulating side-walls and roof, passageways for hot gasesexternally arranged and inclosing such side-walls and roof, a oor forsaid inner chamber including a succession of`transversely extendingtubes of heatconducting material, a plurality of gasburners arranged inthe said tubes, an elongate gas header, connections from said header atsuccessive points in its longitudinal extent to the -said burnersseverally, and two valve-controlled gas conduits leading to the saidheader at the ends thereof. whereby the succession oinames springingfrom the burners and within the tubes may be adjusted inv relativeintensity. 7

. o 'LEON J. Hoozm, sa.

